Ever since my dear friend, and super hostess, CS, served cucumber sandwiches at a summer party, I have been simultaneously obsessed with and repulsed by them. In spirit, their crustlessness makes them all daintiness, pinky-finger-up, civilized-to-the-point-of-oppression madness. In taste and texture, they are velvety smooth and crisp – all refreshment and succor.

Thus, I decided to ‘un-civilize’ my cucumber sandwiches, and make them something that those of us who live in the urban jungle could truly feast on.

I replaced crustless, spineless white bread with a chewy Iggy’s Everything bagel (for those unfortunate souls who are unacquainted with Iggy’s, they are the premier bagel and bread provider in the Greater Boston area). I spiced up the smooth filling with a bit of chopped scallion, salt, pepper, and some dried basil. Finally, to add a bit more flavor to the fillings, without losing the crispness, I added zucchini to the cucumber.

This is a great, GREAT sandwich for the warmer weather, when you want a bit of bite, but something cool and refreshing, as well.

Click here for a printable version of the recipe

Un-Civilized Cucumber Sandwiches, Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 Everything Bagel, halved and toasted

3 Tbls. Cream Cheese at room temperature

½ Bunch of Scallions, rough chopped

¼ Tsp. Sea Salt

¼ Tsp. Pepper

½ Tsp. Dried Basil

¼ Cup Zucchini, sliced into rounds

¼ Cup Cucumber, sliced into rounds

Preparation:

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, scallions, salt, pepper, and dried basil and mash until well-blended.

Smear the cream cheese mixture over both halves of the bagel. Layer the zucchini and cucumber rounds over the cream cheese on both sides.

Eat either as halves or put together as a sandwich and enjoy!